monique polak

Monique Polak's Books

pranksPublisher: Orca, 2004

Pete likes to play pranks. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it gets a laugh. When he impersonates his vice-principal on a radio call-in show, he goes too far and is suspended from school.

Pete’s parents send him to spend the summer working with his uncle, a whale-watching guide in a tourist town far from the city. When a whale is injured by a reckless tour guide, Pete struggles to save the animal. Then Pete has the pull the most important prank of his life to bring the guide to justice.

--“In this book, Polak has succeeded in telling Pete’s story and making it more than a happy-ever-after ending. She has captured the teenage mind while still making her point. A good read.” – CM Magazine

--“Lots of action here, combined with nice insights on the clash between tourism and the preservation of natural environments.” – VOYA

--“Manages to hold the reader’s interest with genuinely likeable characters and a quick-moving plot…. Having a Canadian setting adds an extra element of interest to the story for readers.” – Resource Links

Monique's Blog

05 June 2026
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Latest News

Breaking news!

Remember This: The Fascinating World of Memory (Orca) was nominated for both The Lane Anderson Award for Canadian Science Writing -- Young Reader Category, and the Quebec Writers' Federation Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children's and YA Literature.

Yasmine, Experte en Scènes de Crime (the French translation of Forensics Squad Unleashed) was recently published by Les Editions Héritage. The novel was translated into French by Rachel Martinez.

Vois tout ce qu'il te reste (the French translation of What World Is Left) was recently published by Septention. The novel was translated into French by Rachel Martinez.

The Korean version of Planet Grief was recently published by Changbi Publishers.

 

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